Loudenbeck authors bill to give public defenders raises

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Tuesday, Senate Bill 62, authored Representative Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton) and Senator Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon) passed both the State Senate and the State Assembly. The bill now heads to Governor Evers to be signed into law.

Senate Bill 62 (SB-62) will allow the State Public Defender (SPD) to exceed the 10% cap for merit raises for the remainder of this fiscal year. This will allow for the SPD’s office to help close the gap that was created between the SPDs and the Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) when the long-standing practice of linking the pay progression funding for ADAs to the level of pay progression funding for SPDs did not continue in the 2019-2021 budget process. SPD vs. ADA pay disparity was already having a negative impact on retention, and the pandemic exacerbated that discrepancy.

“Significant progress and investments were made during the last legislative session to ensure Wisconsin’s criminal justice system functions efficiently and effectively and that each of the three legs of the criminal justice stool (Courts, Prosecutors, and Public Defenders) are adequately resourced and balanced,” said Loudenbeck.

“Since March 2020, 78 staff have left the Office of the State Public Defender. It has been even more difficult than normal to recruit and hire during the pandemic, and while positions are vacant, cases and clients continue to wait,” said Loudenbeck. “This causes delays throughout the criminal justice system, particularly in more rural areas. Many counties are now experiencing significant delays that are creating a multitude of issues for judges, jails, prosecutors, clients, and victims.”

“I am grateful to Representative Loudenbeck and Senator Petrowski for their ongoing support and the support of the entire Legislature. This is a key tool in retaining staff and ensuring that the criminal legal system isn’t brought to a standstill due to lack of counsel”, said State Public Defender Kelli Thompson.

“I am thrilled to have this bill pass with such strong bipartisan support. It’s critically important we get this bill to the Governor’s desk as soon as possible so we can help the SPD’s office to retain their staff and to ensure we are able to protect Wisconsin’s citizens’ constitutional rights,” said Loudenbeck.